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If you’ve ever typed the words “where can I buy ___” into Google, then you’re familiar with the way this search feature used to work: you’d see a variety of options from Amazon and other retailers. But that’s about to change.

According to Reuters, Google is joining forces with stores including Walmart, Target and Costco to deliberately affect search results. As a result of this alliance, when you type “where can I buy ___” into Google, the search results will now yield products from Walmart, Target, Costco and other retailers that are members of the partnership.

Whereas Amazon has earned a reputation as a crusher of retail companies, Google appears to be trying to position itself as a defender of them.

“We have taken a fundamentally different approach from the likes of Amazon because we see ourselves as an enabler of retail,” Google’s president for retail and shopping, Daniel Alegre told Reuters. “We see ourselves as part of a solution for retailers to be able to drive better transactions … and get closer to the consumer.”

The price for getting your store to show up prominently in a potential customer’s Google search? A cut of every purchase, according to Reuters.

Partnering with Google not only allows the retailers to be sure their products come up in a Google search, but they’ll also be able to add their products to a Google Express shopping service as well as on Google Assistant for phones and voice devices.

Walmart On The Rise

According to a press release from the company, “Our new voice shopping capability, coupled with our core value proposition, including free two-day shipping and the Pickup Discount, will give our customers a compelling new way to get what they need at low prices. We will continue to focus on creating new opportunities to simplify people’s lives and help them shop in ways they’ve not yet imagined.”

About the Author

Augusta Statz

Augusta Statz holds a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She's an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. She feels the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what she spends most of her time writing about. Learn More.